Tunica County Schools honor educators

Gaming Executive: Casino visitation plummets since ‘08

Written by By Brooks Taylor
Tuesday, 12 August 2014 15:25

Mississippi Gaming Commission executive director Allen Godfrey was an unexpected addition to the Tunica County Board of Supervisors’ August 4 meeting agenda, and what Godfrey had to say was not just surprising – it was shocking.

Godfrey told county supervisors Monday that the river counties in North Mississippi have taken a huge hit in visitation to casinos, dropping 62 percent from 2008 to 2013. Godfrey said 16 million people visited gaming venues in Tunica and Coahoma counties in 2008, but numbers have since declined to just six million in 2013. What was once a $1.1 billion gaming market is now down to $750 million in gross revenues.